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Since I have not been posting anything last year, I want to start again. I will focus on sharing music and my thoughts on it with you. I still take some pictures and will share some shots with you, not only from concerts.

I appreciate all your feedback and feel free to drop a message.

johndoe_tobi {at} inode {.} at

I wish you all a successful year filled with happiness!

Traditional let’s start off with an Austrian Classic – The new year’s concert by the Wiener Philharmoniker.

Songwriter and singer Gordon Gano and bassist Brian Ritchie are the constant members of the Violent Femmes. The percussionist Victor De Lorenzo was a founding member and long-time drummer at different times. The band was quite successful right away with their first and self-titled album in 1983. Over the next twenty year they some smaller hits here and there, but everything got slightly overshadowed by a lawsuit between Gano and Ritchie over royalties, connected to the usage of the song “Blister in the sun” for a commercial. But in 2013 they reunited and found a new drummer, which is one my favourite, called Brian Viglione. Continue reading →

Thanks to the grammy awards, especially the performance of Hoizer & Annie Lennox, which is definitely worth a listen, I am gonna write about Nina Simone today. Her life was coined by many barricades and misfortunes. Her early strive to become a classical pianist was interfered with by racism and strict family situation, but none of the less she became one of the extraordinary artists, pianists and performer in the 20th century. She was a figure of activism for black people rights, but at the same time all her struggle especially with nearest members, like her husband as well as manager, has brought her into extensive difficulties with tax-agencies and royalty management, and consequent money. Strangely enough the most light was shed on her by Channel Nr.5, which choose her song “My baby don’t cares for me” for an advertisement. Continue reading →

Jason Charlie Beck comes from Canada, lived in Paris and Berlin, settled down now in Cologne. He is known for having the record for the longest piano concert, winning a grammy, being an awesome producer, a wonderful songwriter, being satirical and the worst MC in the world. He is better known as Chilly Gonzales. I not only adore his albums for Solo Pianos I & II, but also love his little works, masterclasses as a music theorist on pop music. Continue reading →